Swamp Thing Lives!
by Ghost000000
Summary: I refuse to let this version of one of my favorite characters die. This is the fan made continuation of the 2019 show "Swamp Thing"
1. Chapter 1

**New Beginnings **

The sun began to rise and shine it's light over the town of Marais. Darkness was pushed back to the side as a new day began for the town that once knew peace a long time ago. But now, rumblings in other worlds will bring the action and struggle to a town that will never truly understand what is happening, save for a few select individuals. A boat made its way to a small dock near the bar owned by Delroy Tremayne, who came outside as he saw who was on that lone boat. He walked down some steps and walked across the grass. Abby tied the boat to the dock and turned around to give a faint smile.

"Morning Mr. Tremayne." Abby said, stepping out and onto the dock. She made her way over to Delroy, who seemed to be relieved to see her.

"Abby! I was worried you might have run into Dr. Woodrue…thank God!"

"Jason was taken to jail last night." Abby put her hands in her back pockets. She was confused, believing that Delroy didn't have much knowledge of who Jason Woodrue was.

"I know. But there was a breakout at the jail last night. Several officers were killed in the incident." Delroy held out his arm and helped Abby back towards the bar and inside the building. As they walked, Abby tried to go through in her mind where Jason could have gone.

"I don't think he would go after me. He might be more focused on trying to get to Caroline at the hospital if anything. But…he wasn't exactly thinking straight when I last saw him." Her mind went to the previous night, being picked up and held against the wall by his hands. She could bring his face back to mind, all though it took a minute for her to get the features right for some reason. She then broke out of the memory and turned back to Delroy.

"Perhaps I should go there. He might be infected with unknown bacteria that could spread to some of the patients." She started to take her phone out but before she could make a call, Delroy put a hand over her phone and took in a deep breath.

"Something else you should know about. Matthew was there last night and tried to stop Jason…" He stopped, making sure Abby was staring right at him, getting her attention y mentioning her old friend. Once he knew she was paying attention, he finished. "…he's dead Abby. Paramedics declared it when they arrived." Struck by the news, Abby tried to say something but couldn't find any words. It felt like she lost the ability to speak or even react. She reached a hand behind her, trying to find the back of a chair she could grab onto for support. Delroy grabbed a chair for her so that she could sit down. She covered her mouth with one hand, the other still holding her phone but was dangling as she was trying to wrap her head around what she was just told.

"Do you need a minute Abby?" Delroy spoke in the same tone he sometimes used to comfort his daughter back when she was facing trouble in school. He put his hand on her shoulder, not pushing for her to respond right away. Letting the information sink in. After a few minutes and a couple of tears rolled down her face, Abby looked back up and shook her head.

"No…no. I-I should call Liz." Delroy nodded, taking a few steps and looking back at her while she struggled to press the buttons on her phone. Eventually, he head to turn forward and head back to the kitchen to start making the preparations and set-up. Abby took in a few dee breathes as she held her phone up and heard it rang a few times before Liz picked up.

"Hello? Abby, are you there?" Abby didn't speak at first, still a little in shock. But she pushed those thoughts aside for the time being.

"Hey…Yea, sorry. Where are you?"

"I'm down at Daniel's shop right now."

"Daniel's?" Abby wiped away a couple more tears as confusion started to enter her mind.

"Yea, he kind of left it to me before taking off yesterday. It's something that should be talked about face to face. Can you come over?"

"Yea. I-I can be over in a few minutes." Abby said her goodbye and hung up. She slowly stood up. Putting both hands on her face for a minute and just closed her eyes, taking the moment to try and get herself to calm down and regain some discipline. When she was able to do that, she made her way out of the main bar entrance and went to her car.

* * *

There were nurses and a couple of doctors assisting with the transport of a patient that had arrived the other night. While it was against protocol and ill advised to transfer a patient so soon after arrival. But they took into consideration her condition and felt it was better to have her be closer to her physician back in her previous town. They were not yet notified about the incident at the police station, and if they had, they would probably have been told to not move her and see if Jason would try and see her. If he did, they would have used the hospital as the setting of a trap for the escaped fugitive.

None of this was something that Avery Sunderland was aware of. He sat in his car in the parking lot of the hospital. For the past 20 minutes, he had been debating about whether or not to go inside. He shouldn't be here, especially since it wouldn't take long for people to notice Lucillia's disappearance. _One problem at a time Avery. No need to concern yourself with problems that can't be solved right now. _Avery told himself this as he took in slow deep breaths. He played with the leaf that he had coughed up hours ago in his hand.

It had dried a little bit, but it still held it's dark green color. He could feel the texture as he rubbed his thumb over it. Maybe he somehow swallowed it back when he was lost in the swamp and it was only coming up now. _Yes…yes, that's got to be it. But what if it wasn't? _Conflicting thoughts fought it out inside his mind while his eyes were focused on the medical building in front of him. He paid no attention to the ambulance that left, which carried Caroline Woodrue to the next town. It would be quite the drive, but that was no concern for him at the moment. What was his concern as the hooded man who got into the passenger seat beside him and held a gun to him before either one of them said a word. But words didn't need to be said for this kind of situation.

"Go onto the highway. And go fast." Avery just stared at this stranger who had stolen control from him. His hood was up and sunglasses covered his eyes, he couldn't get a good look at him. But he couldn't have been older than Matthew. _Matt…_He looked at the hospital one last time, believing his secret son was still inside. He turned on the car though before the man could say anything else and started to drive away. They ended up coincidentally following Caroline's ambulance a good deal of the way. But while her ride got off on an exit, Avery and his new friend kept going down the highway.

* * *

The swamp is often regarded as a dark, foul place. But there is beauty and a peacefulness to the swamp that few other environments are able to capture. It has the atmosphere one would normally feel if they were reading an old gothic novel. So while some people would never dream of going near one, there are many who would call the swamp their own, including the people of Marais.

But there is only one who is literally made of the swamp. One who is beginning to feel every single individual part of the swamp, as well as a collective. The swamp thing may not actually be Alec Holland in the literal sense, he has his memories which in turn have shaped him to be more like him. The new Alec sat down on the edge of the water, sitting on land as he stared out across the water. He saw birds fly land on the ground to pick up sticks and twigs to help build their nests up above in the safety of the treetops. Alec found his mind wandering out to the plants and trees beyond his immediate vision, to the whole of the swamp itself.

That was when his sight changed. He was no longer sitting at the water. He was moving, rushing through branches and bushes. But he stopped. Hands were lifted up into sight, but they were not his. These hands were sharper, more animal. But there was no mistaking the color of these new hands, the content that made them up. Dried blood covered several fingers of these strange hands. Animal…no, human! Alec could feel the difference. Just as he did, he could feel his head jerk around wildly, searching for someone who wasn't there.

A branch fell down into the water and splashed loudly, bringing Alec back to the edge of the water. Even though he no longer needed to breathe to live, he took in deep breathes, quickly at first. But the longer he sat, the slower they became until finally, he reached a normal rhythm. He stood up, looking around. There was someone close by, that much he knew. How he knew, especially how he was able to actually see from their body, was unclear. But if he can find this person, then it could perhaps be explained.

But he remembered a feeling that urged him to be careful. Whoever he could sense, it was someone who had killed and is not afraid to fight back. There needed to be caution. Perhaps this is someone who is connected to this…darkness that he can feel struggling. Not all the time, he chose not to focus on it. But every once in a while, he would get a reminder that there are unknown forces waiting to find their way to the swamp and Marais. He turned around and started to go in the direction be believed to be the right one.

* * *

Abby pushed open the door of the shop, trying to look around for Liz. "Hello?" She called out.

"Up here!" It came from the floor above. Taking the steps and making her way up, she found Liz working on her tablet while looking at several comics that bore the image of the Blue Devil on them.

"What are you doing? Where's Daniel? Or, I guess where is he going?" She looked around, maybe he left something behind that could be a clue.

"I don't know where he is. But I have been researching his movie that he was in. The one that brought him here in the first place."

"Why?" Abby remained standing, crossing her arms and looking down on the floor, not wanting Liz to look up and see her face just yet.

"He turned into it the other night. The night we went searching for Alec. I'm trying to figure out where exactly inspiration for that character came from, thinking maybe that it was from some weird old novel. But all I can find when it came to the director and writers was that they all had the same dream apparently. Which is really we- " Liz had looked up briefly while she was going on, but stopped and brought her full attention to Abby who wasn't meeting her gaze. She was about to ask what was wrong, but then remembered the news articles that had popped up on her tablet before she had started researching. She got up and gave her friend a hug, who found herself instantly hugging back. She fought the urge to cry, but more tears did force their way out and down her face.

"I'm sorry. Matt was a good cop, and a good friend." She pulled back and rubbed Abby's arms in comfort. "They are going to find him and bring him back. That or they will kill him. Personally, I'm hoping it's the latter."

"I don't want to think about that right now." Abby shook her head. Liz didn't say anything, but she let Abby knew she understood. Wiping her face with her sleeve, she looked back up at Liz and tried to focus her face and thoughts on what she was saying earlier. "So…what exactly are you saying? With the guys apparently having the same dream about the same character."

"Right!" Liz picked up her tablet and brought her focus back on the screen. "I feel like there is something being hidden about this, which could help explain why this happened to Daniel. I want to be able to go and talk to them, but they are out in Los Angeles and he left this store to me to take care of."

Abby thought for a moment, but it didn't really require much thought. "I can do it. Take care of this place I mean."

Liz looked up. "Really? Do you know how to run a store like this?"

"I mean, not really. But I can always ask Delroy for some advice. Besides, I need to be doing something since I'm staying in Marais." Abby crossed her arms.

"Well, that's great. But wouldn't you rather be taking a job at the hospital or somewhere you can actually use your medical degree?"

"I would rather not. There is no curing Alec because…because he is dead." Abby pressed her lips together as she fought back tears. "But not really I guess. Point is, it doesn't really matter what I do here. I just need to be here. Especially with Avery doing God knows what and Maria in the institution now. I'll probably be asked to help take care of the estate now too."

"Well, if you're sure. I can probably help you go over some things right now just so that you can get a feel for how a store works and shit."

"Thanks, I'd appreciate it." Liz lead Abby back down onto the main level as they tried to go through some papers that had been kept in the main office. Truth was, it didn't seem that difficult, so Abby's mind tried to wander away from the moment and went to thoughts and concerns about so many things. Everything seemed to be chaotic and angry right now, so much not making any clear sense. But no, Abby had to push that aside. One day at a time, nothing more. She brought her attention back to Daniel's – now Abby's – store, wishing that she can be with Alec at this moment.

* * *

Frogs crocked in the distance as Alec walked through carefully, trying to regain a sense of the newcomer. Every time a loud noise or scurry was made, he would turn his head and try to feel for what was out there. But he continued on every time. It had been quite a while since he had last made that connection, there was a chance that he could have left the swamp and travelled somewhere further, away from Marais. But then, he felt him seconds before something rushed out from a nearby bush and tried to attack Alec.

Grunting loudly, he turned and grabbed the attacked at the base of his throat and slammed him down onto his back. Once he pinned him down, he could take a closer look at this newcomer. He was…like him. Green, made of plants and vines, it was the clawed hand being that he had made a mental connection with. More beast than human, even when compared to himself. Alec growled and sneered down at him.

"What are you?!" He yelled down at him. With a grin, he responded.

"Haven't you figured it out? I could feel you in there you know. Looking through my eyes, inside my mind." The voice was familiar. It had changed, but it was only recently that he had heard this voice before. "After all, it was you who allowed this to be possible in the first place."

Finally putting together all of the information, his glare slightly softened and gave way to confusion. "You…you dissected me." With a push, Alec was pushed off of him and nearly fell backwards. Grabbing a nearby tree, Jason turned over and pushed himself up, standing tall.

"Woodrue. Dr. Jason Woodrue. Yes…now your starting to understand, aren't you?" He didn't try to make any sudden movements this time, letting Alec stand himself back up and look him over. It almost seemed like Woodrue was proud of this new transformation. He was, but Alec was blinded by his curiosity about how something like this happened. But then his mind went back to the lab, to the table. The words that were spoken that resulted in an old skeleton being discovered at the bottom of his new home.

"You…what did you do to my body parts?" Alec was gaining back his intensity, but he was restraining himself, not letting his emotion to take over just yet. He may argue that he is no longer Alec Holland, never actually was him. But the part that was the true scientist was ingrained in his new mind and took over.

"I needed to use your regenerative capabilities to help my wife…Caroline." He trailed off for a moment and let silence hang in the air. "I tested on myself first. I ate it, let it take effect. Of course, it took several hours after consumption to actually transform completely. How long did it take you?" It seemed like the scientist within Woodrue took hold as well, letting pure curiosity and interest breakthrough for a short moment.

Before Alec could respond, Woodrue took several steps closer to him. Alec tensed up, ready for a hit or a tackle, anything that would have signified some sort of a fight to begin. But no, instead Jason's face transformed into something resembling pity and…disappointment. "You don't appreciate this. The new form, the abilities. Oh, this was way more than I could have ever dreamed of. I can feel…well, everything! But you don't embrace this. You tried to reject all of it" Jason's voice and tone intensified before calming down again. A smile formed as he tapped the side of his head. "After you came by for a visit, I realized just how big it all was. The Green…"

Alec, surprised that Jason already is aware of something that took him days to discover, backed off just a bit. "You have only tapped into your potential. You're not even aware of them, are you?" Disappointment again, only to be quickly taken over by ego, as it now seemed like he was boasting. "I heard them. They weren't talking to me, but I could HEAR them!" He giggled softly. "Oh yes…there is so much you have to discover. Even I have my work cut out for me. Took longer to get out of that jail than I thought."

"Jail?" Alec was now standing his ground. He looked back down to Jason's hands, saw the dried blood he saw earlier. "How many did you kill? WHO did you attack?!"

"Easy now!" Jason held up his hands. "Abigail is fine. That's all you really care about. The only one you actually want to protect." Jason brought his hands back down. "How many did you kill? How many did you have to fight? Be honest, you want to leave this place. You want to be…out there!" He waved one hand behind him, out into more wilderness. "You don't really care about these people. If you did, you would have only scared them, pushed them away."

Alec roared and used the vines of the swamp to wrap around each of Jason's limbs and suspended him in the air. Looking up, Alec growled. "You sent them out here! To hunt for me, to KILL me! I was protecting myself, protecting The Green."

"I only wanted to study you! To LEARN from you! But, I suppose now I could learn all that I can." With a final thought, Alec had the vines holding Jason rip his body apart. They dropped the remains onto the ground, and Alec simply stared. Seconds later, the parts began to break apart. The shape of arms, legs, and Jason's head fell apart and the vines and plant life holding them together melted back into the soil until nothing about Jason was left. Alec was alone again, standing in the swamp, birds and animals filling the silence of the environment. The only thing that couldn't be drowned out by their calls was the thoughts and questions that now dominated Alec's mind.

* * *

That night, Delroy's bar was fairly full. People came to say good bye to Liz, who was traveling around the country. It was a road trip, she said to most of them. But Abby knew that wherever she ended up going, it wasn't take a picture with the world's largest rubber band ball. Some of the people talked about the officers that were killed, and talked about each individual one. Including Matt. No one had seen Lucilla, but it could be that she took the day off, considering everything. Abby sat with Liz after several people talked to her.

"Well, how are you feeling? Any better?" Liz put a hand over Abby's, which held a beer in it. Abby turned to her and smiled at her friend.

"I think so. Time is what I need. I'll probably go to the funeral." Liz nodded in understanding, not wanting to push it any further. Abby decided to bring the attention back to her. "You located where exactly you're going to go in Los Angeles?"

"Yea, got their addresses down and everything. I have some money saved up, so it shouldn't be too much of an issue there." Abby nodded, and found herself drawn to the window as her friend kept talking. She thought she saw a figure shrouded in darkness watching her from the edge of the water. She simply stared for a few seconds before coming to the realization of who it was.

"Abby!" She turned her head back around. Liz grinned and nodded her head. "Go. I'll call you if I need to speak to you."

"Thanks." She got up and made her way outside, down the slight hill towards the edge of the clearing, where the trees began and the water met the shore. Alec was there, looking at her. She couldn't be sure, but she felt that just seeing her was putting him at ease, seemed to make him happier.

"Hey Alec. Is it fine if I still call you that?" She looked up at him.

"Yes." Alec seemed to have the faintest formation of a smile on his green moss like face. But it then disappeared as he said his next few words. "Woodrue came into the swamp. He had changed. He was like me."

Abby's eyes widened and she felt an intense anger when she heard his name. An anger she didn't think she was able to contain within herself. "Where is he now?"

"I…I think he left his body." Alec turned to stare out into the swamp. Abby walked around him, trying to look him in the eyes.

"What do you mean left his body? He's in The Green?"

"He said he heard other voices. I found him because I was able to connect with him, see through him. Perhaps he went to find the source of those voices." He turned his head back to her. "I have been this way far longer than him. But I haven't truly tried to understand my situation. Woodrue was more in tune that I have been. I need…to explore it."

"Don't tell me your leaving too. No, please, no, not now." Abby fought back tears by closing her eyes, but finding this was the most difficult of all. "I can't let you do something you don't fully understand the conse- "

"I'm not leaving." Alec said calmly. It took a while for Abby to calm down. "I just need to know what exactly I can do. This swamp…it's my home. But you are the reason I'm staying."

With that, she fought to form a smile and look back up at him. Without warning, she hugged Alec. It didn't matter if his body was moss and vegetation. She could have sworn that his scent changed when she went to embrace him, changing into something sweeter. Alec gently placed his arms around her, concerned but not wanting to disrupt it by asking her anything. Their embrace was reflected in the water, fish swimming underneath the surface as they approached the shore, only to then turn around and head out deeper into the swamp.

* * *

The fish swam around, exploring the water they had grown to know so well over their lifespan. But they came across something that was new, some sort of large object was in the water. The fish found an opening and swam inside it. Even though they were inside, they could see out. But they were not openings, they tried to swim through but were stopped. They travelled around some more before finding the opening that brought them inside and went back out into the larger body of water.

It wouldn't be long until someone notices something strange below the surface of the water. In fact, someone was staring right at the spot from the safety of land. But she wouldn't be able to wave to anyone to come and help her pull it out. She tried, even almost got run over. But as she tried to hold onto the tree for support, she found that she couldn't touch it at all. Horror grew on her face as Lucilla Cable stared down at the water to the car below the surface, her own watery coffin.


	2. Chapter 2

**Body & Soul**

The sun switched places with the moon, the glow illuminating the darkness over the wilderness below. It also shone on the car driving, which contained a still unnamed man and his captive Avery Sunderland. They had been on the highway the entire day, only stopping on for gas and to switch places so that the armed hooded man could take over. He didn't seem to require sleep like Avery. His attention was constant and unwavering.

This was made even more apparent when Avery started to feel uneasy. Back at the gas station, when the man followed him wherever he went, they had gotten food and water from inside. It was only now at this point that Avery realized that there was the possibility that the man could have drugged him without him noticing. That possibility was now reality as he fought to keep his eyes open. He was unbelievably tired, and no matter how hard he fought, his eyelids became increasingly heavy. H leaned back into the passenger seat, his eyes staring at the unknown stranger driving the vehicle. There was anger in his heart, but so was fear. He tried to make some sort of move, despite how illogical it was given his current state.

But it didn't matter. Soon enough, his eyes completely closed and the drug won. He fell into a deep sleep while the man next to him drove on through the night, his destination closer every second.

* * *

It was cloudy in Marais. A couple of days have passed between the time of Matt Cable's death and the day of his funeral. They wanted to wait for his mother to show up and handle the affair, but it quickly turned out that she was missing as well. Officers that could be spared were searching for her as best as they could, but in the back of their heads was the thought that maybe Jason Woodrue somehow came across her too. Until anything could be proven, they had named someone as acting Sheriff, but Abby didn't give a shit about that. At least, not right now. She was standing over Matt's grave. She hugged her coat close to her for warmth, a cold crisp wind forcing everyone to wear in layers. It was a little unusual for a town so far south, but no one seemed to second guess it.

Abby stared at the years carved into Matt's headstone. It didn't seem right to her, to see those years written down. It seemed like his own headstone took pity on the man buried underneath the soil. Almost as if to say _he didn't live a full life, poor thing. _The funeral had ended about an hour ago, the priest said some words, probably the exact same words he said at every service regardless of who passed. A couple of other people said some words afterwards, to make it more personal and to give the service some meaning. Abby didn't have much to say when she got up in front of everyone. But it was enough.

Memories of high school came back to her. Memories of a younger Matt Cable talking and hanging out with Abby in the hallways or in study hall. Looking back on those years, there were hints that Matt wanted to ask her out, but she never picked up on it. Part of her now wishes that she could have read those signs earlier. But deep down she knew that even if she did, it would probably wouldn't have lasted that long. They were better friends.

The sun wasn't shining much through the clouds, only the vaguest outline of shadows could be seen on the ground. She almost didn't notice the shape of a new one the casted over the grass, coming up behind Abby but never stepping right beside her. From the way the wind blew, she could tell it was a woman. No words were spoken at first, neither one of them felt like breaking the silence out of respect for the recently deceased.

"How well did you know him? Forgive me for asking, but I couldn't catch the service." It was an older woman, that much could be gathered from her voice.

"Yea…yea, we had school together. He stayed behind as I went off to college. When I came back, it didn't feel like much had changed between us."

"Things usually don't between good friends. Same for loved ones."

Abby smiled and nodded. "I'll have to take your word on the latter. We were good friends, helped each other when we needed it. Nothing more. But…"

"It hurts all the same. I know." She could feel the woman put her hand on her shoulder in comfort. Abby thought about turning and trying to say something, but she couldn't of anything else. So she stayed looked down, eventually the woman removed her hand. Not too long after she did, Abby turned around and started to walk back. There was no sign of the unnamed woman, probably got back to her car and went back home. Abby was going to do the same, only her home for the time being would be a motel room.

* * *

Alec sat down in the water, not too far off from the shore. Cold wind blew around him, shaking some of the leaves on the trees surrounding him. Not many animals were out today, save for a few birds and a couple of alligators that Alec could vaguely sense far off into the deeper sections of the swamp. For as long as Alec had been aware of The Green and how connected he is to the plants and vegetation around him, he never thought about letting his mind venture out to see what else could be open.

That was what he was planning on doing right now. While his new body no longer required the same functions as the human body, he still took in deep breathes. Clearing his mind of everyone and everything, he just listened. To the closest alligator breathing, swimming near the shore where the creature was protecting a nest full of reptilian eggs. Listened to what grass was left in exposed areas, being pushed and swayed by the breeze. To the seaweed and underwater vegetation below the surface, fish and other creatures brushing against them as they searched for food.

Then, without realizing it at first, his mind was no longer in his body. He wasn't even sure if he was still in the swamp anymore. Physical vessels and forms seemed to melt away and everything else blended together, creating a tapestry of life. All at once he could feel every single plant in Marais. But it didn't stop there. He could go out of the town to the state at large. After that came the country, the continent. But then he could sense the world, it was too fast for him. He couldn't keep track of which plant's voice was coming from where. All of them speaking to him at once from so much, Alec grew frustrated and tried to block everything out and escape The Green.

His eyes opened and he was nowhere. He was no longer in The Green, but he was not in the swamp either. There was nothing but blank white all around him. He slowly stood up and tried to look further out to see if he could see a building, a car, anything. But there was nothing to be seen. He could make out what he assumed to be some sort of white mist or fog that stayed closer to the ground, never going above Alec's knees. While most would probably start panicking and be consumed with fear and uncertainty, Alec didn't seem to be feeling any of these things. Curiosity and confusion where in his mind. But luckily, before he knew, someone approached him from behind. He sensed it and turned towards this person.

"Uh, hey there. Definitely haven't seen you here before." The man was tall, not quite like Alec but close. He had long dark hair that covered most of the back of his neck. His skin was very pale, almost the same color of white as the area surrounding them. He had dark red tights, with matching boots and gloves. It was only when he looked down that Alec noticed that this man seemed to be floating several inches off the ground.

"Your dead." It wasn't a question, but a realization that Alec felt instantly.

"Yea. Call me Brand. Well, Boston is my first name, but most people called me Brand back when I was alive." He scratched the back of his head as he thought for a moment. "Man, how long ago was that? I want to say a year, but I don't really have a calendar here…"

"How did I get here? What is this place?"

"Sorry, trailed off there! Well, this is Limbo." He held up his arms around him. "It is the world in between all other worlds! Which explains why there isn't much in here to begin with. It's really more of a travelling through place than a stopping place."

"The Green…" Alec looked around, remembering what exactly he experienced. All the voices of all the plants at once. He put together that trying to take on too much at once must have forced his mind to retreat to the closest refuge. Why he didn't go back to his body remains unclear, but at least he knows how. He turned back to the man named Brand. "Can you show me how to return back to Earth? To a town named Marais?"

"Funny enough, I was just about to head to that EXACT town." Brand smiled. "I kind of have this thing of directing lost souls of the dead where to go if they end up here, and also finding them myself. It's kind of complicated, but I have to go there because someone died but their soul is still hanging around."

"Very well. Perhaps I can help you in return for showing me how to return back to my home."

"It's been a while since I've hanged out with anyone…sure, why not?" Brand nodded and put his hand on the side of Alec's head and helped them focus their minds. Soon enough, Alec woke back up, still sitting in the water. His body though seemed to have started to break off and sink back into the soil while his mind left. But now that he has returned, his body stiffened and reformed his body to its previous form. He stood up, looking around for Brand.

"Don't worry, I'm here." He heard his voice and tried to turn to where the source was but found nothing. Before he could turn and look in another direction, Brand spoke again. "It takes a certain amount of energy to make myself visible for people, so if you don't mind…"

"No need." Alec said. "Where can you sense this lost soul that you spoke of?"

"Well…it feels like they should be somewhere in this swam area, but can't quite pinpoint where. They usually tend to stay near places familiar from their life." As he spoke, Alec got in tuned back to his swamp, which is when he felt something unusual in the water. Metallic, very heavy…it was a car, that much could be determined. If it drove off from the road and someone got trapped, that could be where their body is.

"I can feel a car in the water, near the road. Someone could have driven off and passed in the water."

"Lead the way!" Brand cheerfully followed behind Alec as he walked through the water.

* * *

Avery struggled to wake up and regain control of his body. It felt like he was still in the car, the stranger still driving. How long had it been, a day? Several days? He had no way of knowing, still only semi-conscious. He could feel bumps on the road beneath the vehicle, the presence of the hooded man next to him, but not much else. He wanted to scream and try and unlock the door and just roll out, take his chances with whatever was outside.

But the car came to a stop. He heard the door on the driver side open and close. Walking around, the man opened and grabbed Avery. Practically dragging him, the man pulled and carried the nearly unconscious man into an abandoned house. Forcing his eyes to open as wide as possible, Avery could see several headstones just a little way off. Some sort of cemetery, but where? This was definitely not Marais, that much was certain. The nearby forest was unfamiliar to the man, but that was the least of his concerns at this moment.

He felt himself being thrown onto a bare mattress in the middle of the kitchen. If Avery could fully see, he would see mold and flies all around him, covering what must have been a fairly nice kitchen at one point in time. The stranger pulled down his hood and pulled off his sunglasses. His empty sockets were torched pure black, burn marks surrounding the holes. He scratched his chest, which underneath his clothing would show decay and rot more horrible than the kitchen he was standing in. He turned around and walked out from the kitchen to what was the living room.

He sat down on the couch in a position where he could turn his head to the kitchen in front of him. Avery was in plain view for observation. Another similar man sat on the other end of the couch, watching an old TV play static and snippets of what must have been a rerun of an old 80s sitcom.

"Where is he?" He asked the one who had already been sitting.

"Didn't say." He responded, not looking at him. "But he'll be back."

With a soft grunt, he laid back into the torn couch. Keeping watch over the human on the old mattress, the two of the waited.

* * *

Abby sat cross legged on the motel bed. Going through papers and documents for the store now under her name. Brushing her hand through her hair, she tried to focus on the papers laying in front of her, succeeding for the most part and getting work done. But her mind will slip and every once in a while her head will show the image of Matt or Alec. After an hour or so passed, she let out a deep breath and laid back, resting her head on the pillows.

Her mind briefly went back to the night in Woodrue's home. Sitting at the table and watching Jason try and feed his wife, tied to the chair and unable to move her own body. All control was his. Moments later, Abby had made a move, Woodrue caught and then threw her up against the wall…Abby sat back up, shaking her head and closing her eyes, pushing the memory away. She had enough of that, the police arrived and it was taken care of. She got up and started to make her way to the bathroom.

When she opened the door, a hand went to her throat and grabbed tight. She was pushed back until her back was against the wall. There was a man, it was Woodrue! No, no that isn't right…she couldn't tell his face. It was obstructed, some shadow maybe? No, that wasn't right either. This man, whoever he was, smelled of dirt and like many diseased people she had treated other people over the years. His clothes, the little she could see of them, were old and torn. Abby grabbed at the hand around her throat and tried to pry it loose, but it was useless, his grip to strong. The only part of his face she could see was his eyes. They were red, blackness surrounding the pupils when they should be white. They were dead eyes, but full of rage and intensity.

"Abigail…it's been so long…" He ran a hand through her hair, almost with care. She thought she could feel her body shiver at the touch, repulsed by the touch of a hand that felt rough and cold. He stared at her, perhaps with a grin of amusement on his face if she could see more of it. Then he jerked his head to the side, as if there was something in the room. But there wasn't, nothing that Abby could tell. If he really was grinning a moment ago, it seemed to be gone now.

"You have no place here. Go back to where you came from!" He yelled out to a room that was for the most part, empty of any other people. His grip lessened slightly, more air was now going into her. With it, she tried to focus more. She could swear she could hear something. Not a voice per say, but some sort of movement in the air, something that required this man's attention more so than the girl he held in his grip.

Moments passed, but then he spoke again to the room. "Oh trust me, I know. But you are wrong on the outcome. You'll see soon enough." He turned back to Abby, his other hand cupping one side of her face as he peered at her eyes. No, into her eyes, through them and into her soul. "I guess I have to leave now. Maybe next time you can actually see me. He moved his face forward, his shrouded lips almost kissing her forehead…

And then she fell onto the floor. When she did, she felt that her pants were wet. Fear came over her, making her grab her knees and hold them close to her chest, nearly sobbing. The hallucination she saw when she was scratched and in the swamp came back to her, played out almost in the same way as just now. But this was stronger, it was really there this time. She could suddenly remember herself in a similar position in an old room, one decorated for a young girl. In the corner, out of sight of anyone who would come through that door…

"It's ok Abby. Everything is ok." Abby brought her face up, full of tears as she tried to look for this new speaker but found no one. She sat there for another minute, letting herself cry out. Afterwards, she slowly pulled herself up and started to make her way to the bathroom to wash herself and pick out new clothes. She halted as she stood next to the dresser and looked at the photograph that wasn't there before. She picked it up and examined it.

It was her. Not here, but her from back when she was a young girl. She had no way to know that, this could have been anyone. But she knew somehow, knew for certain like that she had ten fingers and ten toes. She was in the arms of a blonde woman, who had to be her mom, sitting on the steps in front of a house out in the open with apparently no other houses around. There were two men standing behind the mother hugging her child. One was very tall and clean shaven, wrapping his arm around the other man who was just a little shorter and had facial hair. The taller one she had to guess was her father, but the other was a mystery to her.

She put it down and went into the shower to clean herself. It wasn't until she was in there for several minutes that she began questioning if the voice that spoke to her minutes ago was the same voice as the woman's rom the graveyard earlier today. No, that couldn't be right…but then again, every day she stayed in this town was another day that gave her something she couldn't explain.

* * *

Lucilla was still staring at the water, just beneath it the car that she had just been inside of. She wanted to move, to head back into town, but she felt paralyzed. Confusion, fear, uncertainty prevented her from making a decision. Logic and emotion were overwhelmed and fighting one another for who got to make the next move.

Thankfully, she didn't have to make the decision to move anywhere. Something big came from the swamp. Green, covered in moss. Or was it made up of moss and plants itself? The red eyes of the creature approached her. A part of her told her to run, but something in the back of her head told here this thing posed no harm to her. _Not anymore _it said.

"Hey there Sheriff." She turned slightly to her right and another man was in front of her. This one was indeed a man, dressed in some odd red outfit. He was pale too, like a bed sheet. He smiled kindly at her. "Pay no attention to the jolly green giant. He brought me here to you."

"Listen, you have got to help!" Lucillia pointed to the water. "My car is in the water and I'm inside the – no, I'm here. But I'm…"

"Dead." She didn't want to hear it, because hearing it out loud would make it true. That was the logic she used told her. But when he said it to her, things started to click together and fall into each other, a jigsaw puzzle that finally formed the picture that was advertised on the box. She turned to the man in red.

"I…yea, I'm dead." She didn't know how to respond. But then in a rush, she yelled out in grief and anger. She blamed Avery for doing this to her. A man she thought cared enough about her to not do this to the mother of his child.

"Matt!" She turned back to the man and grabbed both of his arms. "Is he ok? He has to be; I spoke to him at the hospital! Where is-?"

He shook his head. "He's moved on. Sorry I have to tell you that. But…I can take you to where he went afterwards." She wanted him to ask where, but the tone of his voice put her at ease. It didn't seem like he was taken to a place of punishment or exile. And if she could see him there, then that was all she needed to put herself at ease. She smiled, an illusion of a tear rolled down a cheek. She felt her eyes closed and herself disappear from this realm of existence.

Brand turned around and crossed his arms, letting out a deep breath. "It's never easy. Sometimes they argue and plead, threaten sometimes. But this was one of the better ones."

Alec nodded in understanding. He began to turn and walk back until he heard him speak again. "Before I go…!"

Facing him once again, Brand said his piece. "I feel something bad in your future. I can't see it, I'm no fortune teller. But it's pretty bad. It even has a foul smell to it. And I can't smell anymore! I feel like that's a good indicator that you should watch out."

"Alec looked back with concern and worry. But ultimately, he thanked him. "Your warning is appreciated. But for now, I just want to be alone. This has been enough for me to last a little while."

Brand nodded in understanding. "Totally understood big guy. Maybe next time we meet, we can celebrate you coming out on top of whatever it is I just sensed. Until then I guess." With those final words, Brand let himself go back to Limbo, to return to Lucilla Cable and lead her to the next plane of existence. Alec walked back into the swamp after he had the vines and plants pull the car in the water out far enough to be spotted. Officers would come by a few hours later and bring it back, go into the water to try and find the sheriff's body. They will ultimately fail and they will be unable to determine if it was an accident, suicide, or a murder of some kind. Alec was genuinely sorry for them, that this will go unsolved and hang over those who respected Lucilla. But he knew that the death of the body was not the end.

* * *

Hours passed. The sun set in the horizon and the moon was beginning to rise into the night sky. The light from the old static TV was the only light in the decaying house. At this point, Avery had started to regain control of his body back. He pulled his head up and looked through the opening into the other room. The man who had been there in the couch was gone. Seeing his chance, he moved his body up. His muscles ached and his body was heavy, but he managed. He pushed himself up onto his feet and moved towards the opening, grabbing both sides to hold himself up and regain his balance. It was during that pause that he felt a foot push against his back and fell face first onto the floor.

"I guess that potion worked just long enough." Avery moaned and grunted as he tried push himself back up, but the foot that pushed him down was now on top of him, pinning him onto the ground. "No need to get up Mr. Sunderland, I'll bring myself down to you."

Avery managed to bring his head up and off the ground, looking up at a man who was squatting down and looking at him with a dark grin on his face. His face was cracked and grey, patches of black splattered across the dead skin, if you can call it skin anymore.

"Looks like The Green worked itself a bit inside your body. It will take a little bit to get that out of you. No matter though. The end result will be the same."

"What the fuck do you want?" Avery didn't pay attention to the words this man spoke, simply angry. "You aren't getting a dime out of me if this is about money! I swear, when they realize what's happened to me, the police will be all over your ass!"

The man laughed loudly, turning his grain into a big smile that made Avery uneasy. "Money! Oh yes, I remember money. Used every bit of it for my research back in the day. But no Mr. Sunderland, that's not why you here in front of me today." He looked up and nodded at the man pinning Avery down. Avery felt himself pulled up onto his feet, the barrel of a gun pushed against his spine to remind him of the danger, as if a reminder was needed. The man grabbed Avery by the shoulder and lightly shook him in what seemed to be in pure excitement. "Oh no Mr. Sunderland, money isn't the point at all. You are about to do something very good and important for me."

"And what pray tell is that?" Avery spat the last word, saliva sprayed into the man's face. He didn't flinch or even seem to notice it. He brought his hands from Avery's shoulders and held his face.

"You, my good man, are going to help a long lost uncle reconnect with his niece."


	3. Chapter 3

**Secrets Ruin Mysteries**

The past few weeks have been difficult for Abby. It felt like all she has been doing, outside of taking care of Daniel's store, was making phone calls and sending emails to try and get access to her old adoption forms. She has been dreaming of the same decaying man coming for her, trying to hurt her night after night. Ever since she had found that old photograph, she figured it was time to actually learn where she had come from.

There were a couple of customers walking around and looking through some items. Abby wasn't paying too much attention to them, on the computer trying to convince a worker from the old orphanage to allow her to take a look into the file. Every failed attempt frustrated her further, making her a little tired every day. She didn't even recognized who came through the door at first until she approached Abby at the counter.

Turning around to face her, Abby took in a deep breath and crossed her arms. "Xanadu. Didn't expect you to come to a store like this."

"Abby." Xanadu took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "I have been sensing some dark aura around you. I only want to help."

"You mean like how you 'helped' Maria?" Abby walked away and towards one of the tables to make sure everything was organized, trying not to give Xanadu any more attention. But luckily for her, despite being blind, she seemed to sense her movement and knew where to walk to.

"What Maria is going through…she choose that. I merely offered the choice to her."

"I would have thought that you would know better than to offer something like that to Maria."

"She was never going to move on Abby." That seemed to make Abby stop moving and looked up at the ceiling in thought, closing her eyes. "That was the only way she was ever going to have closure. The price was high, too high for some. But she was willing to pay it. However, the price for what you're looking for is much smaller."

Abby turned around and raised an eyebrow. "What I'm looking for?"

"Are you not seeking answers to your past?" This made Abby loosen up a bit, if only because she is confused as to how Xanadu could know something like that. "I do have a way for you to seek those answers. The method is relatively simple, but answers once discovered can never be forgotten. That is your price, if you are willing to pay."

Holding her hands on her hips, Abby thought for a moment. She wasn't that comfortable with Xanadu, not sure if she is someone she can completely trust. But after weeks of getting nowhere, she figured whatever it is might be worth it. "What do you have?"

She took a hand and reached into her pocket, rummaging through a couple of things before finding the object by touch. Pulling it out, it is revealed that what Xanadu has is a small vial of what appeared to be sand. She reached her hand out, closed around the vial. Abby held her hand out, her fingers lightly touching Xanadu's wrist to let her know she can release the vial into her hand.

"What exactly is in this sand?" Abby held it up to the light to see if there was anything that could be easily viewable.

"It is not laced with illegal drugs if that is what you are asking." Xanadu responded. "It is just sand. Sprinkle it on your closed eyes as you fall to sleep. Once you are asleep, the answers will be made available to you. But you still must make the decision to find them."

"What are you talking about? How is this supposed to help?" Abby turned back, a little frustrated once again.

"You are a brilliant doctor Abby. Your accomplishments are inspirational in the field of medicine." Xanadu started to turn around. "But some things require not analysis, but faith." She now started to slowly walk towards the door and walk out, returning to the streets of Marais.

Abby once again looked at the vial in her hand. Turning it around, she thought about Alec and the times he has mentioned The Green. Whatever that was, Alec knows it exist despite it not actually being a physical place like the town. Nodding slightly, she put the vial in her pocket, the decision being made in her head as she went back to the counter.

* * *

Liz pulled out a couple more books from the shelf. Checking her phone, she tried to respond back with one hand to the text she got from her girlfriend. She was getting annoyed and frustrated that Liz was still gone, and she couldn't really blame her. She did just pretty much leave at the last moment with little to no warning.

She made her way to the register, putting her selection down. Grabbing her backpack, she opened it and started looking for her wallet. As she did so, the guy looked at some of the covers of her choices. One regarding the Occult, a couple regarding folklore, and other similar books.

"Working on a graduate paper?" The cashier asked her.

"Something like that." Liz gave a small grin as she handed the worker her card. He got the total and swiped the card, the payment going through just fine. He handed the card back and offered to bag the books for her, but Liz declined and just put them in her backpack before heading out the door.

Another bright and sunny day in Los Angeles, the city of angels. The heat here was different from what one could expect from Marais. It was hot, the sunlight definitely powerful. But the humidity could make things more intense than what she was feeling right now. But after a few weeks, she was starting to get accustomed to the local weather on the west coast. She got on a bus and made her way back to the motel that has been hiding out in.

Closing her room door behind her, she dumped the books out and grabbed one of the folklore books. Opening one of her notebooks, she brought up some notes she had written down after meeting one of the writers from Daniel's movie. The notes from this meeting was pretty similar to the one with the other writer and with the director. All the notes detailed this alleged shared dream they had regarding how they came up with the movie's story and the design of the film's demon character. Some of the details were vague, but she has been hard at work trying to tie some of the details to a specific legend or religion that could answer some questions she had. She didn't know how long she had been going through her new books until there was a knock on her door, causing her to check the time and saw it was a couple of hours later. Getting up, she went up and cracked open the door just enough to see what her mystery visitor looked like.

A middle aged man with a clear aftershave stood in front of her door. Wearing a suit underneath a blue trench coat, the man lifted his head up, his eyes underneath his blue fedora meeting hers and giving a smile. "Good afternoon. Are you Liz Tremayne?"

"Yea…do I know you?" Keeping her guard up, she didn't open her door any more than what she felt comfortable with.

"No, you don't. I'm a…friendly stranger. Would it be all right if I step inside? I'm afraid I might have overdressed." Liz looked him over for a few moments, trying to think the situation through. She then opened up the door, letting him step inside. Closing it, Liz stayed by the door in case she needed to get out.

The stranger walked around her bed a bit, looking at some of the notes she had spread out but didn't make a move to try and touch any of them. "You have certainly done your homework Miss Tremayne. Very thorough indeed."

"Who are you? Are you with the studio?" Liz had a slight edge to her voice, not expecting something like this to happen regarding a B movie.

"No, not really. But I do have some familiarity with the people you have been interviewing these last few weeks."

"You know them? One of their friends?" Liz raised an eyebrow.

"Again, no. But I was the one who sent them the message. I'll admit, the movie ended up being fairly entertaining."

"Wait…message? Are you trying to say that you are the one who caused them to all have the same dream?"

"Indeed I am." He turned around, taking off his fedora and placing it over his heart. "I wasn't expecting us to meet so soon, but I got word that things have made an unfortunate development back in town, so I felt the need to get you back on track."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Liz crossed her arms.

"I'm talking about Marais Miss Tremayne. Abby is getting ready to unravel one mystery later today. And when one secret is discovered, it isn't long when the rest start to reveal themselves."

"How the Hell do you know Abby?" Liz took a few steps forward, some anger in her eyes.

"I apologize for getting you riled up like this. To answer your question, I know what I need to know." Putting his head back on his head, his smile disappeared as he took a couple of steps forward. "Daniel is fine. His journey is his, his mysteries will be solved by him. Your friends back in Marais are going to need you around for what is to come. Plus, it might help ease whatever tensions exist between your significant other." Lowering his head, he started walking towards the door. Liz didn't make a move to try and stop him, still trying to process the words that were just spoken.

"Oh, and one more thing Miss Tremayne, if you don't mind." Liz turned around, not angry anymore as she meet the stranger's eyes. "If you are still looking for a mystery to ruin back in Marais, I would suggest looking at The Conclave. I believe the Sunderlands were trying to make some sort of deal with them regarding Alec. That might give you and your friends something to do afterwards."

Liz wanted to ask what he meant by afterwards, but she didn't feel the need until after he stepped out of the room. When she opened the door, he was nowhere to be found, completely vanished into nothing. Closing the door, she looked down at the floor to collect her thoughts. Grabbing her phone, she decided to let her girlfriend know that she was cutting her trip short.

* * *

After locking up, Abby walked up to the second floor and sat down on a couch, pulling the vial out of her pocket. Looking it over again, she started having second thoughts. How could sand on her eyes help her achieve anything? There was no connection. But thinking about all the things that have happened in Marais, that have happened to her, it is admittedly not the most insane thing she could think of.

She stretched out on the couch, closing her eyes. Carefully, she slowly loosened the cap on the vial and tried to carefully sprinkle only a little bit of the vial's contents onto her eyelids. Then she slowly put the cap back on and held it in her hand, resting on her stomach as she just tried to fall asleep. The silence in the store helped her to relax her body and mind, let her thoughts drift away so as to not distract her. She fell let go and just tried to sleep…

The next thing she knew, she was standing in a forest. Clearly not the swamp, she looked around for a moment completely confused and even starting to panic. Xanadu lied, she had to! It must be some sort of hallucinogen. She had heard stories of people who had gone on spiritual journeys of discovery while under the influence, but this was not what she had wanted to do. She tried walking in a direction, trying to find a road or something to help bring her back to anything resembling a town.

She started to relax when she came across two houses, standing next to each, only separated by a fence. Looking back and forth between the two, she was trying to decide which one to go up to. This was when she started to realize that it was way darker than what it should be right now, the only source of light being the full moon up above. The reflecting light seemed to illuminate the house on the right, the one that seemed to have had a little more upkeep and care. Taking a deep breath to try and calm down, she started to walk towards the house. She opened the gate, walking through the tall grass that seemed to hug her calves as she walked on through. Stepping up onto the porch, she brought her hand up and knocked on the door, hoping that someone was inside and awake.

It wasn't long before the door creaked open enough to reveal that someone was indeed inside. Wearing a suit that seemed to have come straight out of the 19th century, the large man had small glasses that he put on, probably in disbelief that someone would be out here and knocking on his door at this time of night. But once he was sure, he seemed fairly inviting, stepping aside and opening the door more so that Abby could walk in. She did so, albeit a little hesitant as she looked around the interior of the old house.

"F-f-forgive me. I wasn't-t-t-t-t expecting a-n-n-n-n-ny guests." The man closed the door and walked a little briskly so that he could be in her line of sight. Holding his hands together nervously, he seemed to be more afraid and nervous than Abby at this moment. "Can I g-g-g-g-g-get you anything?"

"Uh, no. It's fine." Abby tried to give a small smile, walking around and still looking around at the old décor and furniture, some cobwebs spread about. "Do you have a phone? I think I'm lost and I don't seem to have mine with me." The words escaped her lips before she even checked her pockets. But she just somehow knew that her phone was gone.

"I'm af-f-f-f-f-fraid not." The man said, his face showing that he was genuinely disappointed that he couldn't help her. "Would you l-l-l-l-like to sit-t-t-t-t down?" He offered her one of the chairs, which she thanked him for and slowly sat in the armchair.

"P-p-p-perhaps I can help you find something else?" The man said, wanting to try and help out in any way he can. Abby was at first about to ask for direction to the nearby town, but then her mind went back to the shop and her conversation with Xanadu. There was something about this place that seemed important. Now was probably the time to have some faith and ask for something that she didn't think would be possible to receive.

"Well, maybe. You see, I'm adopted. But I just can't really remember what my life was like before I got taken in." She played with her hands, looking down at the floor for a moment before meeting the man's gaze again. "I don't suppose you would know how someone like me might try to figure out more about my birth family, or at least how someone like me would go about that, would you?"

"W-w-w-w-w-well, I think I j-j-j-j-j-just might. Oh, I don't think my b-b-b-b-b-b-brother will like me doing this, but you asked…" He turned around and approached one of his bookshelves, his fingers running along a few of the spines until he found the one. Pulling it out, he dusted off some of the dust it had collected. He carefully handed her the book, with nothing on the front or back to indicate what could be inside. Pushing her many questions aside, she slowly opened the book to see what was inside.

She was a young girl again, in a completely different house. Hiding behind a couch, she could hear screaming coming from the kitchen. A young Abby dared to look behind the couch into the kitchen to see the two people yelling at each other. She had a clear look at the woman, a woman that the little girl version of Abby wanted nothing more than to hug as tightly as she could. The man she was yelling with had her back turned to her, but she just knew who it was. It was on the tip of her tongue, she KNEW who it was. But before she could remember it, she flinched as she watched the man slapped the woman so hard that she fell back against the counter. He reached forward and started to choke the woman, her hands clawing at his arms to try and break free. It was now that little Abby couldn't take it anymore and ran away, towards the door of the house, pass it to go outside, kept running until she was on the street. She didn't know how long she was running or how long she had been outside until a car pulled over and a couple ran up to her, trying to get her to talk through her tears. Suddenly, there was a blanket on her and she was sitting in the passenger seat of a cop car, a couple more lined up in front of the house. There was an ambulance, with two paramedics coming out of the house and towards the gurney near the vehicle. There was a partially opened body bag, only enough to see a face. It wasn't the woman, it was –

The book closed and Abby was back in the old house, taking in quick shallow breaths, adrenaline coursing through her body. She knew who those people were now, she knew their names. Before she could look back up at the man in front of her or say anything, the door of the house slammed open. The large man turned and looked scared at the new man approaching him and entering the living room. He was skinny and taller, his wild hair and sideburns giving him the appearance of some sort of cave man dressed in a dark yellow suit. He crossed his arms, his face partially hidden from her because his attention was focused on the large man.

"Abel, why didn't you tell me that we had a guest over? You know how I hate being left out of these things."

"I-I-I-I-I didn't m-m-mean to…" The large man named Abel cowered and stepped backwards a little bit, terrified by this new man. The tall man did start stepping forward, but stopped and turned to look at Abby. He also wore glasses, but his face was one of intimidation and thoughtfulness. Pinching his forehead, he let out a sigh.

"This is her, isn't it?" The tall man asked.

"Y-Y-Y-Y-"

"Thanks for the confirmation." He crossed his arms and looked back at Abby, his face seemed to soften just ever so slightly. "Hello Miss Abigail. I see that you decided you no longer liked having a mysterious past anymore. I myself prefer having some things remain unknown. Keeps things interesting if you ask me."

"How do you know me?" Abby stood up, back to slowly starting to panic again.

"Hard to pinpoint just one answer. But I think I will go with the one that says you are paired up with the elemental. Look, it was great of you to stop by…" The man reached his hand into his coat and pulled out a revolver. "But I have to remind my brother about some of the rules and manners we need to live by. But I do hope you stop by soon." He turned to the man he called his brother and pulled the trigger.

That was when Abby finally woke back up in the store. Sitting straight up, her heart was pounding like mad, some sweat on her forehead. A dream? Was that all really just a dream? That place felt so real, those visions…The visions! Scrambling for some paper and a pen, she wrote everything she saw regarding the man and woman. Abby was writing it all down quickly, feeling the information starting to slowly disappear in her head. But luckily, she managed to write it all down just in time. She looked down at the paper, still trying to comprehend what she was looking at.

Her eyes noticed that she dropped the vial onto the floor. Picking it back up, she saw there was still a little sand left. It had to be a hallucinogen. Something that helps people recover repressed memories. That was the only logical answer she could come up with. But even then, drugs like that need to be ingested somehow. Could simply absorbing it's properties through the eyelids really be enough?

Putting it back down on the table in front of her, she ran a hand through her hair. Pulling her phone out, she saw that she missed a call from Liz. Walking away for a moment, she decided to call Liz back to see what she was calling her for.

* * *

Caroline was located in the mental ward of this hospital. Located far away from Marais, all the doctors had to be brought up to speed on her situation and what had happened prior to being hospitalized. They had spent some time mainly just monitoring her, trying to make sure that nothing about her condition experienced any drastic changes.

Then earlier today, a different doctor mysteriously showed up and demanded to speak to Caroline. The staff argued with her, trying to get her to realize that due to her mental status, it was unlikely that whatever she was looking for could be found by speaking with her. She had been through enough trauma and the assigned doctor just wanted to let her recover. Caroline hasn't even spoken since she had been transferred, despite being here for weeks. But the visiting doctor was aggressive, and they eventually let her in to talk to Caroline, as futile as that may be.

The door to Caroline's room opened and the visiting doctor stepped forward. Wearing a black pencil skirt and a dark green buttoned shirt, she held a clipboard in her hand as she moved some hair behind her ear. Jotting down a few notes describing her physical appearance, the doctor finally started talking.

"Mrs. Woodrue, I am here to ask a few questions regarding the night leading up to your hospitalization." She looked down at Caroline, who was awake but not looking at her. "I understand why you don't want to talk about it. I have been hired by the company that Jason was working for to get every detail I can. We understand that he brought home samples that was originally supposed to be for scientific research. We just want to know what exactly he was doing with them."

Caroline still said nothing. The doctor let out a sigh and jotted down some more notes. She started to turn and walk away, but then Caroline grabbed the doctor by the wrist. Turning back, she could see the patient making direct eye contact with her. "Where is he?" That was all she said to the doctor. No question had to be asked about who she was referring to.

"We currently don't know where he is." That was the honest truth, Caroline could sense it just by looking at the doctor's sympathetic face.

She let go of the doctor's wrist, angry but leaning back on her hospital bed. The doctor stayed for a moment longer, wanting to say one last thing. "Caroline, let me assure you that if I ever come across your husband, I will make sure I let him know exactly how you feel." Taking one last look at Caroline, the doctor walked out of the room and closed the door behind her. She walked down the hallway, grabbing her coat where she had left it, pulling out her phone to call the person who had hired her.

"She wasn't talking. Hasn't talked since she arrived. I tried, but I couldn't get anything from her."

"It was worth the shot. At the very least, we can still locate the samples that Dr. Woodrue had taken. Chances are they will be held at the hospital in Marais. If you can locate them Dr. Isley, we will gladly let you access to do your own analysis and testing."

"I appreciate that Nathan. I'll make sure to find transportation. Once I find out anything, I'll make sure you are immediately updated." Dr. Isley put on her coat and walked out of the hospital and towards her car.

"Make sure that you do." He hung up on here. Putting her phone back in her pocket, she got in her car and sat for a moment. Thinking about the samples that had been described to her. If she could get her hands on just one of them…she pulled her thoughts back, not wanting to get too ahead of herself.

Turning on her car, she started to drive back to the car rental dealership. With thoughts about her past coming back, as well as dreams for a potential future coming up, Pamela Isley smiled to herself.


End file.
